Detailed Search Results
| Author/Association: | Sari YP, Herman H, Fajria L, Herien Y, Susanti E, Lin C-Y |
| Title: | The impact of m-health interventions on gestational weight gain and physical activity among pregnant women with overweight and obesity: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials [with consumer summary] |
| Source: | Midwifery 2025 Jul;146:104399 |
| Method: | systematic review |
| Method Score: | This is a systematic review. Systematic reviews are not rated. |
| Consumer Summary: | STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: PROBLEMS/ISSUES: Excessive gestational weight gain and inadequate physical activity among pregnant women with overweight/obesity increase the risk of gestational diabetes, hypertension, and labor complications. Despite growing interest in using digital technologies such as mobile health (m-health) to improve maternal health outcomes, the effectiveness of such interventions in managing pregnancy weight gain and increasing physical activity remains unclear. WHAT IS KNOWN: M-health interventions can help improve lifestyle behaviors and health outcomes during pregnancy, but their impact on increasing physical activity is inconsistent and often poorly understood. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have provided mixed evidence, with some showing positive effects while others highlight limitations in their effectiveness. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesizes data from 14 RCTs involving 3838 participants, revealing that while m-health interventions have small but significant effects on reducing pregnancy weight gain, they do not show significant impacts on increasing physical activity levels. These results underscore the need to modify and improve m-health strategies to address the challenges. |
| Abstract: | OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of m-health on gestational weight gain and physical activity during pregcy among pregt women with overweight and obesity. METHODS: Six databases were searched: EMBASE, MEDLINE (Ovid), CINAHL EBSCOhost, COCHRANE Library, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar. The literature search was conducted from inception to early November 2024. The population of the study was pregt women diagnosed as obese or overweight. The interventions involve mobile health (m-Health) strategies, including mobile or smartphone applications, text messaging, wearable devices, telehealth platforms, and various other digital communication methods. The study specifically reported gestational weight gain and physical activity, or one of the outcomes. Only randomised controlled trials (RCTs) were included. The study's quality was evaluated using the Cochrane risk of bias assessment. The effect was analyzed using the Review Manager 5 program with random effect and standard mean difference (SMD). RESULTS: Fourteen RCTs were included, involving 4371 participants. The current meta-analysis found that m-health had a small negative effect on gestational weight gain among pregt women with overweight and obesity, with SMDs -0.18, 95% CI -0.32 to -0.04, I2 64%. Particularly, m-health had no significant effects on physical activity, with: SMDs 0.13, 95% CI -0.06 to 0.31, I2 74%. CONCLUSIONS: M-health apps are effective for weight control among pregt women with overweight and obesity. However, it seems not to be significant on physical activity. It is crucial to make modifications to m-health interventions to address gaps in physical exercise programs during pregcy. Full text (sometimes free) may be available at these link(s):  help |
